allendalepharm 055 Learning to sing and reading fairy tales
055 Learning to sing and reading fairy tales
Voldemort's curse on the position of professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts was very powerful.
So powerful that Dumbledore couldn't do anything about it for so many years, so powerful that Voldemort, after finally gathering his strength in the Albanian forest and returning to Hogwarts, was once again tricked by this curse and forced back to his original form.
Even the Dark Lord himself couldn't handle this curse.
Lockhart couldn't understand why this curse was so powerful. Perhaps it was because the time when he cast the curse was the most furious and painful moment of Voldemort's life.
Because Dumbledore refused to let him stay at Hogwarts, refused to let him follow the path Dumbledore had walked, refused to let him stay in this place that he, an orphan, had completely come to regard as his home.
It doesn't matter anymore.
All he knew was that there was a very subtle bug in the fact that Voldemort was using this curse to try to kill him!
That is, Voldemort wanted to kill Gilderoy Lockhart!
What does this have to do with me, Loha! (His name in his previous life)
He doesn't actually mind being called "Gidero Lockhart"; the name is just a label, and he has a real life.
But that doesn't mean that this "Gidro Lockhart" is the original "Gidro Lockhart". He is no one else, he is himself!
Lockhart was extremely knowledgeable about dark magic and had a particularly clear understanding of the effects of 'curses'.
Just like the "Snot Curse" that he had just analyzed, dissected, and explained in detail to the fourth-grade wizards, no matter how varied magic may be, it still has some basic rules to follow.
Black magic, in particular, requires extreme malice.
This is the fundamental reason why, even from an academic perspective, black magic is being completely eliminated from the normal wizarding curriculum in the modern wizarding system—malice needs to be targeted.
You have to be filled with malice towards a certain object, a certain person, or a certain thing.
'Targeting' is full of advantages in low-level combat, as it can give wizards a clear purpose in battle, but it becomes a huge disadvantage in high-level spellcasting.
To put it bluntly, spellcasting with "strong targeting" is generally considered low-level!
For example, the "Loyal Heart Charm," part of the Safe House Magic series, is a spell that protects a house from being spied on and observed. Its effect applies to everyone in the world. It works even on someone completely unrelated to you on the other side of the earth.
Thus, Defense Against the Dark Arts, one of the three major domains of Defense Against the Dark Arts, has a very in-depth branch of study—focusing on 'targeting'.
Among the spells Dumbledore just tried to cast on Lockhart was a "Powerful Confusion Charm," which is how he sought a solution.
Killing Curse? Crucifixion? When the target is confused, the true malice directed at oneself disappears, and at most, it only causes a slight stinging effect.
Of course, in real-world combat, this method is generally not risked when dealing with extremely dangerous Unforgivable Curses. However, for less dangerous ones, such as the Slug Curse, this method is incredibly effective, even better than the Curse of Death.
This is Lockhart's approach to self-salvation.
His own situation is the biggest confusion.
But such an attempt is still dangerous, like casting a confusion spell on yourself when faced with an unavoidable killing curse attack, a desperate measure.
So he would say, "Isn't it sometimes like this? We have to bravely face death in order to have any hope of survival?"
If this curse is powerful enough to kill me, then I will die once as Gilderoy Lockhart.
Then, I will return as a brand new Gilderoy Lockhart.
It was a very dangerous attempt.
He wasn't 100% certain, but he had the courage to face death.
Because his desire for life was so intense!
Let's go!
Embark on a journey of life and death!
Dumbledore removed his ring, took out a pot of hymn and dew from it, and lightly examined them with the Elder Wand, gaining some understanding of what Lockhart needed.
The grass stems filled with various cries for Lockhart, and the dew that marks the transition from a social being to an individual, these two objects are full of anchoring to Lockhart's own existence.
Under Lockhart's guidance, he began to try to control the fairy tale book "Carol's Bedtime Stories," turning to the last chapter, "I Am Glory," opening it, placing it on the ground, waving his wand, and chanting a secret incantation to make it work.
"The Carlo family has protected the interests of wizards for generations!"
This secret code brought glory to the Carlo family, witnessed their triumph, and ultimately became the epitaph for their downfall.
Because they do not consider wizards from Muggle families to be wizards.
Dumbledore, his mind a jumble, watched Lockhart begin to manifest a part of his ghostly form, as he struggled to walk towards the fairy tale book, his body shrinking little by little, before finally waving to him and disappearing completely into the open pages of the book.
He sighed, his anger towards Tom growing stronger.
Then I couldn't help but think back to the Horcruxes Lockhart had just mentioned: five items and one person...
He didn't know how Lockhart knew Tom's secret, but the fact that Tom insisted on pushing the curse attached to the professorship despite his extreme weakness told him that Lockhart was probably right.
Slytherin's locket...
Hufflepuff's Cup...
Ravenclaw's tiara...
My student diary...
The Gaunt family ring...
When these items were arranged together, they were incredibly eye-catching in the eyes of a magic master like him.
Blood ties, self, home – Tom truly considers Hogwarts his home. Since I brought him from the orphanage to Hogwarts, he probably considers Hogwarts his home from the start.
This strong sense of belonging inevitably led him to consider this when creating Horcruxes: choosing legendary items from various academies and severing all ties with his native Muggle bloodline through the most thorough means...
Therefore, Dumbledore could clearly see where Tom's fatal weakness lay.
That is, the fact that Tom completely bound Hogwarts to his own home left a void in his heart—he still longed for and wanted to acknowledge his mother's love for him.
The reason why Lily's magic was so effective against Tom back then was clearly not because the powerful force of her maternal love for Harry reached an absurdly strong level of magical power. Of course, it was powerful, but not enough to kill Tom, who was at his peak and could almost be said to be the strongest wizard in the world.
It just so happened to target Tom's fatal weakness.
The magical power of love is too general; what was at play at that time was the power of maternal love.
That's just how humans are sometimes; the more they care, the more easily they get hurt.
Let's start with that!
—Although it is malicious and immoral to think this way, since we have become enemies, there is no room for any soft-heartedness.
Dumbledore had to admit that Tom was perhaps more passionate about Hogwarts than he and Minerva were about the school, to the point that he considered it the foundation of his own magic.
That's how magic sometimes works.
One cannot go to extremes. Although extremes unleash tremendous power, they also reveal the most obvious weaknesses.
The principles of being a good person are sometimes like this.
Clearly, the curse attached to the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is related to these things, even if it has no direct connection to these Horcruxes, there must be some kind of connection between them.
No wonder it's been so difficult to handle.
Perhaps, once these Horcruxes are cleared away, the curse will be completely dispelled.
Dumbledore stroked the Elder Wand in his hand, his gaze deep and unfathomable beneath his crescent-shaped spectacles.
……
Fairy tale book.
The sun was shining brightly in the early morning.
"Sweetheart~"
"Sweetheart, wake up!"
"Time for lunch!"
With each gentle call, Lockhart slowly opened his eyes and saw a middle-aged woman with a kind smile.
He looked at the plate and the abundant food in her hands, and was a little unhappy. "Mom, you don't have to do this. I'll eat out."
"Oh, my sweetheart, Mommy loves doing things like this." The middle-aged woman placed the plate on the table next to the bed and patiently tidied up the somewhat messy magic school holiday homework on it, looking very happy as she looked at the beautiful, flowing strokes on the parchment.
"Mom!" Lockhart's voice rose considerably. "Could you please stop doing this? Bringing the food to our rooms like this. It makes our sisters unhappy. You can't treat them differently."
The middle-aged woman snorted, clutching the homework to her chest with an air of pride. "How can they be the same? They're Muggles, you're a wizard!"
Lockhart looked at his mother, sighed, and sat up in bed. "But we're family. We need to consider everyone's feelings. Dad will be unhappy too!"
"Oh, no way!"
The middle-aged woman snorted, "My little sweetheart, you are a wizard, a magical wizard! You are the pride of our family, you are my pride!"
"My child, you will never understand how I feel. I am so happy that the wizarding bloodline has finally been continued. Neither of your two older sisters are wizards. You have no idea how desperate I was back then."
"Oh, my sweetheart, you are so wonderful, so proud of me."
She looked at Lockhart so intently, as if she were placing all her life's hopes and dreams on this child. "Will you be a great wizard? Will you be my pride?"
A dark glint flashed in Lockhart's eyes, and he quietly clenched his fist under the covers.
He knew that he wasn't actually that outstanding; he struggled with his studies at the magic school, and he was almost becoming just another ordinary person.
How wonderful it would be if he lived in Muggle society. Maybe he could become a famous travel magazine columnist like his father, or a lawyer and then go into politics?
But in the wizarding world, he could see almost no future.
He was confused, unsure of what he would do after graduating in a few years.
Excellent? Glory? These don't seem to be the words that best describe him.
Even so...
He still flashed his perfect smile, met his mother's expectant gaze, and nodded earnestly. "Yes, Mom, I will make you proud! I won't let you down!"
"Oh~ my little sweetheart~" The middle-aged woman was overjoyed. She gently arranged the homework neatly, patted it lightly as if comforting a baby, and then turned and left the room.
As the door closed, Lockhart's smile visibly faded.
He rubbed his face vigorously, then climbed heavily off the bed and began rummaging through the closet for clothes suitable for the day.
He had to dress appropriately, even with impeccable taste, or his mother would be disappointed.
only……
When he arrived at the full-length mirror with his clothes, ready to fix his hair, he stared in horror at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, feeling a chill run down his spine. "Who are you?!"
But in the mirror, he sighed, muttering, "My technique still isn't refined enough..." Then he drew his wand, pressed it against his head, and quickly cast a spell—"Forgetfulness!"